Dawson County tables revised community development fee schedule to July 16

The Dawson County Board of Commissioners held the second of two public hearings on an amended community development fee schedule on June 4 and voted to table the proposal until a July 16 meeting so staff can rework the methodology and re-advertise.

Staff told the board that, under OCGA, local governments may set business-license fees by one of four methods: a flat fee; by number of employees; by a profitability ratio; or by annual gross receipts with a profitability ratio. The staff presentation said the county’s current gross-receipts/profitability approach had produced higher, more complicated fees and recommended moving to a simpler option. "The state of Georgia for every city and county in Georgia" is charged "in 1 of 4 ways," the staff member said during the presentation, then outlined sample options such as a flat-fee structure (for example, $100 for home-occupation/seasonal businesses and $250 for commercial businesses) or a flat fee plus a per-employee charge.

After the presentation, the chair opened the hearing and, finding no one signed up to speak, closed it. Commissioner Gaines moved to table the fee-schedule ordinance to the July 16 meeting so staff can change the methodology and readvertise; the motion was seconded and passed 4-0. The board directed staff to bring revised ordinance language and the fee schedule back for consideration at that time.

The decision means the county will continue under existing fee rules until the board considers the revised proposal in July. The board did not vote on a specific fee structure at the June 4 meeting; staff emphasized the goal of simplifying the schedule so residents and business owners can more easily determine what they would owe.